Cabinet may take up anti-communal violence bill
New Delhi: The government is planning to bring the controversial anti-communal violence bill in the winter session of parliament, informed sources said on Monday. The core group of the Congress, headed by party chief Sonia Gandhi, met and discussed the legislation. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, sources said. “The communal violence bill has to be approved by the cabinet. Once that happens, then we will see,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath told reporters, when asked if the bill would be introduced in the ongoing winter session of parliament. This session is scheduled to end Dec 20, but could be extended as the government is keen to pass the Lokpal bill. (IANS)
Srinagar shivers at minus 4.3 degrees
Srinagar: Night temperatures across the Kashmir Valley continued to fall on Monday as Jammu and Kashmir capital Srinagar recorded its coldest night of the season at minus 4.3 degrees Celsius. “Night temperature dropped to minus 4.3 degrees Celsius in Srinagar today which is the lowest so far this season. The minimum temperature was minus 4.8 in Pahalgam while it was minus 0.2 in Gulmarg. In Leh town, it was minus 13.8, while Kargil town of Ladakh region recorded a minimum of minus 10 degrees,” Sonam Lotus, director of the local meteorological department office said. “Jammu city recorded 9.3 degrees as the minimum temperature”, Lotus told IANS. He said night temperatures could slide further by a few notches during the next two to three days. “We expect light rain or snowfall in the higher reaches of the Valley Dec 18, but the overall weather is expected to remain unchanged during the next two to three days despite light rain or snowfall in the higher reaches,” Lotus said. Parts of Dal Lake in Srinagar city have already frozen because of sub-zero temperatures. Thin layers of frost have begun to form on city roads, forcing motorists to only venture out after sunrise. The harshest spell of winter, known locally as “Chilla Kalan”, is yet to begin. The 40-day period begins Dec 21 and ends Jan 31. (IANS)
Over 100 red sander smugglers arrested in Andhra
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Police Monday arrested more than 100 red sander smugglers here allegedly involved in the killing of two forest officials in Chittoor district’s Seshachalam forests on Sunday. The suspects were arrested from railway stations in Chittoor and Kadapa districts while they were trying to flee to neighbouring Tamil Nadu, an officer said. The arrested people would be questioned about their role in Sunday’s attack which killed two officials and injured three others. The arrests were made since Sunday night during the checking carried out by three special Task Force teams in the two districts. Most of the smugglers were arrested from Railway Kuduru and Mamaduru railway stations in Kadapa district when they were trying to board trains to Chennai. The police officer said a massive manhunt was launched Sunday night to arrest the smugglers who escaped from the forests after the attack. More than 200 smugglers allegedly attacked a team of forest officials Sunday morning in Seshachalam forests near the temple town of Tirupati. Two officials were stoned to death in the gruesome attack. The attack, which indicates growing audacity of red sander cutters in the region, shocked the forest department. The personnel are now demanding the government to provide them arms for use in self-defence. Most of the arrests were made in Chittoor district and surrounding districts, famous for red sander. The rare wood, which fetches Rs.25 lakh per tonne in the international market, is mainly used in aphrodisiac drugs and for making musical instruments and furniture. (IANS
Encounter case: SC notice to CBI on IPS officer’s bail plea
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday sought the CBI’s response on the bail plea of suspended Gujarat cadre IPS officer Rajkumar Pandian, who is in judicial custody in connection with the alleged fake encounter killings of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kauserbi. “We are inclined to consider your bail petition. We are issuing the notice,” a bench comprising Chief Justice P Sathasivam and Justice Ranjan Gogoi said. Responding to a query on the status of the trial, senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Pandian, said, “I am in jail for last nearly seven years and the records, running into over 3,000 pages, are yet to be received by the trial judge.” The court has now posted the matter for hearing on January 13. The IPS officer has moved the apex court after the Bombay High Court on November 20 rejected his bail application. The CBI had opposed the bail application in the high court saying that the police officer is a key accused who had picked up the duo from Hyderabad before they were killed in the alleged fake encounter. Pandian, along with IPS officer Abhay Chudasma, Rajasthan cadre IPS officer Dinesh M N and other low-rank policemen are lodged in Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai after the Supreme Court transferred the trial in the case to Mumbai from Ahmedabad. (PTI)
School student killed in road mishap
Phagwara: A school student was killed on the spot and 21 others sustained injuries when their school bus was hit by a SUV near the Sahibjada Ajit Singh Public school in Sarhali village on Phagwara-Nakodar Road amidst dense fog on Monday. The deceased student was identified as Harish Kumar(12) of village Jagatpur Jattan while the injured belonged to Bhanoki, Ucha-Pind and Jagatpur Jattan villages. The injured students were admitted in City Hospital, Narula Hospital, and Civil Hospital Phagwara and in one private hospital of Zandiala Manjki. The condition of the injured students is out of danger and most of the students were discharged from the hospitals this afternoon. Though 108 Ambulances and few police employees from Zandiala Manjki rushed to the spot to rescue the students, but senior police officers reached at the accident site two hours after the tragedy.(PTI)